Project Lyme does not endorse, recommend, or certify any medical practice or physician and does not guarantee the quality of medical advice or care given. The information shared in this article is purely for educational purposes.
Dapsone is a sulfur-based drug originally used to treat leprosy. Dr. Horowitz has adopted the drug in treating Lyme disease because of its anti-inflammatory qualities, ability to attack persister cells, penetration into the central nervous system, as well as increasing patient’s immune responses. Dr. Horowtiz uses combination therapies to maximize results for his patients. His protocol uses a double dose of dapsone in addition to doxycycline and rifampin.
He initially only prescribed a single dose of dapsone until a patient accidentally doubled the dose. After having side effects and a Herxheimer reaction, the patient spoke with Dr. Horowitz who identified he had taken the wrong dosage and took him off the drug for a couple of weeks. When the patient returned, effectively all of his Lyme symptoms had disappeared. Following this, Dr. Horowitz asked his wife to be a guinea pig for another round of trials with the therapy. Prescribing her a double dose, she had positive results and has since been in remission.
For me, this is the answer that the Lyme community has been looking for… I now have a large number of people in long-term remission for one year or longer
In 2020, Dr. Horowitz and Dr. Freeman published an in vivo study outlining the efficacy of his Double Dapsone protocol on a patient population. They also published an in virto study on intracellular uses of the drug. In this study, they proved that dapsone is effective against persistent forms of the disease.
There are some side effects with a dapsone protocol; however, according to Dr. Horowitz, there are no long-term detriments of the treatment. According to Dr. Horowitz, said this treatment will “Do No H.A.R.M,”, which is also functions as an anagram outlining side effects.
H- Herxheimer reactions
A- Anemia
R- Rashes
M- Metheboglobin anemia
Herxheimer reactions are needed to see patients achieve remission. In addition, the half-life of dapsone is 48 hrs which means the remaining side effects are typically much shorter and less recognizable than other popular sulfur-based drugs, such as Disulfiram, which has a 14-day half-life.
For those seeking to get a prescription, there are a couple of other things to keep in mind. You must have all of the variables on the MSIDS model under control. For example, if you have active Bartonella or Babesia, low adrenal function, low testosterone, or POTS, you will need to treat them directly first in order for a Dapsone therapy to be effective.
Overall, Dr. Horowitz sees his Double Dapsone protocol as “the answer that the Lyme community has been looking for”. Since first publishing his study, he has trained over 200 practitioners on the use of his protocol. Given the wider adoption and the results he has seen from patients achieving long-term remission, it seems he may be right.
In addition to his work in the field of tick-borne diseases, Dr. Horowitz is a staunch climate advocate. His new book, Starseed R/evolution, provides satire, adventure, pop psychology, mystical exploration, and a breath of fresh air in a world choking on its own hubris. Addressing the realities of climate change, including the expansion of tick-borne diseases, Dr. Horowitz provides practical solutions through the lens of science fiction.
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